Personalized Technological Support for Informal Caregivers of Older People with Dementia: A Co-Design Approach Involving Potential End Users and Healthcare Professionals in Three Focus Groups in Italy.

Informal/family caregivers (ICs) of older people with dementia (PwD) can suffer from depression and burnout. However, digital solutions can potentially provide innovative ways to facilitate care provision. The aim of this study was to analyze the opinions of end users (EUs), i.e., PwD aged 65 years and over and their ICs and healthcare professionals (HPs), on the use of digital technology to support care activities. Qualitative data were collected during the co-design phase of the European project "DemiCare-Personalized support for informal caregivers of people with dementia". This study focused on the Italian context and included two PwD, three ICs, and seven HPs. Three focus groups were held in April-June 2022. Qualitative data were analyzed using MaxQDA 2020 software. Seven thematic areas were identified: daily activities, care tasks, information needs, support received, relationship with and expectations from technology, functionality of the DemiCare integrated system, and ethical issues. Smart devices seemed to be received positively by ICs and HPs, although older PwD seemed to have difficulty accepting the technology. Overall, despite the low number of participants, it seems important and potentially effective to consider the needs and preferences of PwD during exploratory co-design to allow social interactions with them. This study was not registered.

Older People's Lived Perspectives of Social Isolation during the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy.

The aim of the present study is to understand the experiences of isolation and strategies used to cope with it among older people living at home during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. More specifically, the roles of media and online technologies were also explored. Semistructured interviews were conducted via telephone between March and April 2020 with 30 people aged 72-94 years old living in Northern Italy. The thematic analysis identified six thematic areas: changes in daily life, emotions, social networks, exploited resources and strategies, use of media, and view of the future. Older people faced the emergency in heterogeneous ways; some were able to take advantage of their own residual resources and of social support, whereas in other cases, isolation exacerbated existing weaknesses. Technology and media were useful for reducing loneliness and fostering social contacts, but people with age-related impairments or low digital literacy presented many difficulties in approaching new technologies. Moreover, the overabundance of information could also increase anxiety and feelings of threat. Given the impact of social isolation on older people's well-being, it is critical to identify and strengthen personal resources and social support strategies that may help older people cope with the restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.